Bottom mount refrigerators include a freezer compartment on the bottom, with the fresh food or refrigerated compartment above the freezer compartment. One or more doors provide access to the fresh food compartment, and a separate door provides access to the freezer compartment. Generally, an ice maker is positioned near the upper area of the fresh food compartment. The ice maker receives water from a water line, and cold air from the freezer compartment is directed over the water to freeze the water, forming ice. The ice may then be directed to a reservoir or ice container, which can be located on a door of the fresh food compartment adjacent a dispenser, or at the top of the fresh food compartment, near the ice maker.
Placing the ice maker, and potentially the ice container, within the fresh food compartment reduces the amount of available space within the fresh food compartment for food storage. Furthermore, cooling the water in the ice maker via cold air directed from the freezer compartment increases the amount of energy used by the refrigerator. The cooling loop of the refrigerator must take more heat from the freezer compartment to create enough cold air within the freezer compartment to cool the compartment and to cool the water in the ice maker. There is increased energy consumption by the use of a fan that directs the cooled air to the ice maker, which also creates the possibility that the cooled air may warm or escape, creating the need for even more cooled air in the freezer compartment.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a refrigerator having an ice making system on a door that provides access to the fresh food compartment. There is also a need in the art for a system and method of cooling the water of the ice making system that does not require cold air from the freezer compartment.